


Here's To Us

by TheDarkFlygon



Series: Prism (Pride-Themed Oneshots) [6]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Bisexual Akamatsu Kaede, Bisexual Female Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Headcanon, LGBTQ Themes, Music, Piano, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24591199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: Kaede wants to show Shuichi something that really, really matters to her.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi
Series: Prism (Pride-Themed Oneshots) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769908
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	Here's To Us

**Author's Note:**

> Yesterday's prompt was "Art/Magic", so I immediately thought about music, and, as such, Kaede.  
> It's quick, sweet oneshot because... well, I did a lot of other stuff today, and I need to get out the house in like 5 minutes as I'm typing this lmao. I hope y'all gonna like the floofiness, though!  
> Title from a Halestorm song, hehe.
> 
> I'm just realizing I've written more in Kaede's POV than Shuichi's. Even when counting one fic where I had multiple POVs (Per Lacrimas Splendemus, a oneshot from Whumptober 2019), this is my 12th fic in her POV, as opposed to 9th in is.

It’s a rare occurrence for Kaede to specifically request someone to listen to her music in private settings without it being a gift for them. Yes, she’s played music at weddings, receptions, funerals and even a baby shower one time (her employers called it “a formal announcement of a child to come”, but let’s be real here, it was nothing more than a glorified, fancy, stuck-up _baby shower_ that was very awkward for her to attend); but never has she been so personal with something that she was too shy to show it to the world.

She’s a public, extraverted person, after all. She’s always allowed anyone to come and listen to her play the piano, but that’s because she’s always been confident in her abilities to play what someone else wrote onto music sheets for people like her to give life to even centuries after their passing.

However, this time is different because of this reason. She’s never been the greatest singer, merely good enough to follow her notes and to let her voice drown in them; and yet, she’s about to sing for someone, in front of them, without any safety net but her trust in them and the complicity they have. That’s enough of a safety net, she supposes, especially when she’s used to being ambient noise; but the fact she’s going to be focused on is a bit nerve-wracking.

You could easily say it’s because she’s a bit insecure about what she’s about to do. She’s rehearsed it just enough to be sure of what she needs to do, but that’s it, and even as she thinks now, her hands are trembling a little over her piano keys.

“So, huh…” Her voice is as shaky as her hands, even as it tries to just casually start a conversation. “Remember when I’d ramble to you about, you know, writing a song about me and you… about us?”

“Of course I do,” Shuichi tells her, a small smile on his face.

“Well… Here are the results!”

Her nervousness must be showing, because his expression sulls a little.

“Is everything alright?” He then asks.

“O-of course! Let’s get onto it, then!”

It’s not that playing in front of Shuichi scares her: he’s been her most trusted ally ever since they became friends. Hey, even as she’s sitting all stressed and anxious in front of her piano, he’s diligently watching her on a nearby chair, hands tangled together on his lap: she trusts him with her life and vice-versa. If there’s one person she’d play a personal composition in front of, it’d be him.

No, it’s just the unknown that scares her a little. What if he doesn’t like it? She’s never composed anything before: this is her first try. The fact is that she just talked about what she knew best – which is to say how she came to be, then how they became an inseparable pair – and felt like she needed to show Shuichi as soon as he got curious about it. Curse her for rambling about piano every single day and the next… Curse the puppy dog eyes he then gave her.

The song starts calmly, introducing herself as a vague, almost impersonal “she”, “her” parents, “her” sister. With each passing detail her lyrics give away, the tempo increases: “she” holds hands with everyone in school, “she” learns to play the piano and what platonic and romantic loves are, to distinguish them, and all of this story dances to a beautiful melody, albeit she makes sure an air of melancholy floats above it all.

Then come the doubts and the fear of rejection. The sister has a boyfriend, and “she” knows she’s a little against the norm. The melody becomes tense, anxious even, quickening at a dangerous pace while she has a little trouble singing her the lyrics to the beat, which, in a twist of events, makes her teenage feelings reach to the surface even more. The part ends on a calmer pace as “she” comes out to “her” parents and twin sibling, as “she” starts dating “her” first partners in high school: a boy, a girl, another boy. “She” explores sexuality one discovery at a time, stumbles upon subjects “she” doesn’t understand, hesitates on going through with the more physical aspects of it, fails “her” first kiss, holds hands.

Then, the girl meets _him_. He’s timid, scrawny-looking and doesn’t speak his mind much; but he’s kind, well-mannered, and “she” takes a liking to him. His eyes shine whenever he speaks about literature, sull a little when he mentions his family, but it’s fine, because “her” parents love him already as their younger daughter’s best friend. They push a little for them to date, as all parents seem to do once their child reaches college and brings in someone of the opposite gender. The sister keeps telling “her” that “she sees something in their bond” and, well, the twin isn’t wrong: this is the beginning of a beautiful story.

The last part of the song oscillates between soft, tender notes expressing idyllic love and tenser, angrier parts where they need to defend their bond, their identity and their way of living. They aren’t confused, they’re just not like “everyone else” and, well, they don’t want to. Despite the hardships, hints of other people’s platonic love make into the composition, as she can picture every single one of their friends joining them in an intense act, and the song ends on a peaceful note looking towards a future that is, indeed, brighter than ever.

When she’s finished, Kaede can only sigh, then look at her audience. To her relief, Shuichi has tears in his eyes and a genuine smile on his face as he applauds her. Remembering the customs of concertos and wanting to make it as official as possible if just for the fun of doing so, she gets up from her piano and salutes her auditors, trying to keep her own composure.

However, since this isn’t an official concert, she watches her fiancé run to her and clutching her against him as they both giggle, both trying to hide their emotions as much as possible, only to both just cry happy tears in each other’s arms.

As they exchange a kiss, Kaede can’t help but think her identity struggles are nothing but a bad memory and she’s more than happy to make her song into a self-fulfilling prophecy.


End file.
